Temple in Kerala Guarded by Devotee Crocodile for
Hundreds of Years
Ananthapura Lake Temple in Kasaragod, built in the 9th
century, is the only lake temple in Kerala and is the
moolasthanam (original abode) of Ananthapadmanabha, the
deity of Sree PadmanabhaswamyTempleinThiruvananthapur.
The garbhagriha of the temple is reachable only by a bridge.
What is most amazing about the temple,is that a vegetarian
crocodile has been guarding the temple for hundreds of years.
Brief History of the Temple
The past of the temple is still obscure except for some
legends. It was at this place where Divakara Muni
Vilwamangalam, the great Tulu Brahmin sage, did penance
and performed poojas. Legend has it that one day Lord
Narayana appeared before him as a child. The boy’s face
was glowing with radiance and this overwhelmed the sage.
He became anxious and asked who he was. The boy replied
that he had no father no mother and none at home.
Vilwamangalam felt pity for the boy and allowed him to stay
there. The boy proposed a condition that whenever he feels
humiliated he will leave the place at once. He served the
sage for sometime. But soon his juvenile pranks became
intolerable for the sage and he reacted violently. Humiliated
the boy disappeared from there after proclaiming that if
Vilwamangalam wants to see him he would have to go to
Ananthankat, the forest of serpent god Anantha.
Vilwamangalam soon realized that the boy was none but the
lord himself and he had great repentance. He found a cave
at the place where the boy disappeared and he proceeded
further into the cave in search of the boy. He reached the
sea and proceeded further toward the south and at last he
reached a woody area near the sea. Vilwamangalam saw
the child who soon disappeared into huge illippa tree (Indian
butter tree or Mahua tree). Immediately the tree fell down
and assumed the shape of Lord Vishnu lying on a thousands
hooded serpent.
Babia the Crocodile Guardian
From very ancient times, one crocodile has been seen there.
Though devotees used to take bath in the tank there is no
instance of it harming anyone. Babia is the name by which
this guardian is known by the devotees. It is the local
guardian and the messenger of the temple. The only food
that Babia takes is the offerings of the devotees. Usually it is
a special gruel made of rice and molasses. Afterthe worship,
the food offered by devotees (prasadam) is given to Babia at
noon. Temple authorities claim that Babia is a vegetarianand
has never harmed anyone including the fishes in the pond.
There is an interesting local legend that narrates the entire
story behind the guardian crocodile. Once Sree
Vilvamangalathu Swami, devotee of Lord Vishnu, was doing
penance for his favourite Lord. While he was in his prayers,
Lord Krishna in the form of a little boy appeared and started
disturbing him. Being annoyed by the behaviour of this child,
the saint pushed Lord Krishna aside with his left hand. The
boy immediately disappeared into a nearby cave and the
truth dawned on the saint as to who the boy was. Thecrevice
into which Krishna is said to have disappeared is still there.
The crocodile guards the entrance and the shrine.
In 1945, when the British soldiers were stationed there, one
soldier shot dead the crocodile. To the surprise of everyone
the soldier died within few days by a snake-bite. People
believe it to be a curse by the serpent god Anantha. Soon
another crocodile appeared in the tank and even now if one
is fortunate one can see it. The legend goes that there isonly
one crocodile in the lake at a time. When one crocodile dies,
another one appears in the lake. The devotees pay great
respect to this crocodile.
Temple Design
The temple is unique in its structural aspects for it is erected
in the middle of an impressive lake of 302 feet. The lake is
gifted with a perennial supply of pure spring water. We can
find the ruins of temples all round the lake which stand
testimony to the fact that it was part of a great temple
complex. The sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), namaskara-
mandapam, thitappalli, and shrines of Jala-Durga and the
entrance of the cave are located in the lake. The namaskara
mandapam is connected to the eastern rock by a foot-bridge
which is the only passage to the sreekovil.
The principal deity is Lord Vishnu. One of the key features of
the temple is that the original idols in the sanctum sanctorum
were not made of metal or stone, but of a rare combinationof
more than 70 medicinal materials called `kadu-sharkara-
yogam.' These idols were replaced by panchaloha metals in
1972. They were donated by Kaanchi Kaamakoti
Mathaadhipathi His Holiness Jayendra Saraswathy
Thiruvatikal. Efforts are going on now to reinstall the idols
made with `kadu-sharkara-yogam.' The Lord Vishnu idol is in
a sitting pose over a five-hooded serpent king Lord Anantha.
The lake temple is open to all visitors regardless of caste or
creed. The District Tourism Promotion Council has plans to
preserve the temple and its surroundings for its uniqueness.
The temple has an excellent collection of wood carvings on
the ceilings of the mandapam. These carvings depict the
incidents taken from the stories of dasaavatharam (the ten
incarnations of Lord Vishnu). Some of them are painted. The
Nava-grahas (nine planets) are painted at the muktha-
mandapam. On either side of the sreekovil dwaara-palakas
(jaya and vijaya) are beautifully carved in wood.
nearest major railway station to Ananthapura Lake Temple is
Kasaragod railway station which is about 12 km from here.
There is also a railway station at Kumbala. Karipur
International Airport, Kozhikode is the nearest airport which
is about 200 km from here. To reach there by road one has
to take a deviation from Naayakkaapp (5k m from Kumbala)
on the Kumbala-Badiyatukka road.
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